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Former Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, Air Chief Marshal (Retd) RKS Bhadauria, has strongly advised against India importing fifth-generation fighter aircraft as a stopgap measure, even as reports suggest Pakistan may acquire advanced stealth fighters from China.
Instead, he emphasized the critical need for a focused national effort to accelerate the development and induction of India's own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a fifth-generation fighter program.
Responding to queries about India potentially looking at foreign fifth-generation jets due to Pakistan's likely procurement of stealth aircraft like China's J-20 or FC-31/J-35, Bhadauria firmly stated, "My answer is no."
He added, "The government has clearly put their faith in AMCA, and now we need to do everything as a nation to expedite the AMCA."
The AMCA is being designed as a state-of-the-art multirole combat aircraft with advanced stealth features, supercruise capability, and sophisticated avionics.
The retired Air Chief Marshal, instrumental in shaping the IAF's modernisation roadmap during his service, acknowledged that Pakistan potentially operating stealth aircraft before India is a concern.
However, he asserted that this situation should not lead India to abandon its indigenous development path. He advocated for strengthening India’s countermeasures and interim defensive capabilities to manage any new threats effectively.
"That cause of concern in terms of what Pakistan is going to get from China in the interim—be it J-20 or J-35—let them get these. That will be studied," Bhadauria remarked.
He stressed the importance of India’s interim strategies, stating, "What is important is in the interim how do you handle these threats, and there are ways and means of tackling this threat that they will have."
While Pakistan might gain a temporary edge in stealth technology, the former IAF chief highlighted that India possesses multiple options to counter such capabilities without derailing its long-term objective of achieving self-reliance in defence production.
Fifth-generation fighter aircraft are typically characterized by their stealth (low observability to radar), high manoeuvrability, advanced sensors, and networked operational capabilities.
Explaining the interim defensive strategy, Bhadauria said, "In terms of stealth capability, Pakistan is likely to get it before us. We’ll have to take some other measures in order to be able to detect by some means, to be able to still hold them off our borders much inside so that they are unable to launch."
He further assured that India would be capable of "tackling the weapons" should adversaries manage to launch cruise missiles or other standoff armaments.
His comments underscore a broader strategic vision for India: instead of making hasty foreign purchases in reaction to Pakistan’s moves, India should concentrate on enhancing its own defence network.
This includes investing in counter-stealth technologies like over-the-horizon radars and multi-static radar systems, alongside relying on superior operational tactics and integrated command and control structures.
Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Bhadauria’s resolute position aligns with the Indian government's "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) initiative. It also signifies strong institutional backing for the indigenous AMCA program, which is anticipated to see its first prototype roll out later this decade.
With substantial investment and collaborative efforts already in progress, the AMCA is considered the cornerstone of India's future air power and its ambitions for a domestically developed fifth-generation fighter fleet.
